Many surgical procedures result in the production of rather large quantities of fluids (e.g., blood and irrigation liquids) which need to be removed from the operating site. Removal of the fluids can be accomplished in a number of ways. One of the oldest methods of controlling fluids is to use absorptive devices such as towels, sponges and pads which have been sterilized to lessen the risk of infection. Alternatively, suction devices may be used to remove fluids from the operatory site.
As part of good sterile technique, it is a common goal to keep the patient, the operating personnel and the room as clean, dry and bacteria free as possible. This is especially crucial in the control of infectious disease containing fluids such as blood. In certain surgical techniques, large amounts of fluid are released or used. In such cases, absorptive devices and/or suction devices are oftentimes insufficient or impractical for removal of fluids from the operation site. As a result, there is a recognized need for a surgical drape which permits the effective collection of fluids created and/or released during a surgical procedure. Modifications have been made to the surgical drape itself to help direct and/or collect the fluids. Such modifications have been accomplished by creating folds and tucks in the drapes to form pockets for collecting fluids or by attaching separate pieces of material to the exterior surface of the drape to form pockets for trapping or collecting fluids.
An alternate solution has been to attach pouches to the drape to collect the fluids resulting from the operation. Unfortunately, previous methods used to attach fluid collection pouches to surgical drapes have been either expensive or offer poor performance. For example, one method of attaching a pouch to a drape involves the use of an adhesive strip or a double-sided adhesive tape. Unfortunately, it is difficult to place precisely the adhesive strip or tape at the leading edge of the pouch (i.e., at the edge of the pouch closest to the surgical site). As a result a tab of non-adhered pouch material is often left at the leading edge of the pouch and fluid is inhibited from running directly into the pouch. Another method of attaching fluid collection pouches to drapes involves sonically bonding or heat bonding the pouch to the drape. Unfortunately, this technique does not allow the user to secure the pouch at the time of use (e.g., in a custom position).
What is needed is a pouch which can be easily attached to a drape (e.g., at the point of use), which provides a leak-free seal to the drape, and which allows fluid to flow directly into the pouch without being inhibited or directed away.